At last, on the 24th July 1854, after the deputies had been thus shut up a whole month, Secretary Brulart himself arrived from Fontainebleau.

He stated that the King sent his royal thanks to the States for the offer which they had made him, and to the deputies in particular for taking the trouble of so long a journey; but that he did not find his realm in condition to undertake a foreign war so inopportunely.  In every other regard, his Majesty offered the States “all possible favours and pleasures.”

Certainly, after having been thus kept in prison for a month, the ambassadors had small cause to be contented with this very cold communication.  To be forbidden the royal presence, and to be turned out of the country without even an official and accredited answer to a communication in which they had offered the sovereignty of their fatherland, was not flattering to their dignity.  “We little thought,” said they to Brulart, after a brief consultation among themselves, “to receive such a reply as this.  It displeases us infinitely that his Majesty will not do us the honour to grant us an audience.  We must take the liberty of saying, that ’tis treating the States, our masters, with too much contempt.  Who ever heard before of refusing audience to public personages?  Kings often grant audience to mere letter-carriers.  Even the King of Spain never refused a hearing to the deputies from the Netherlands when they came to Spain to complain of his own government.  The States General have sent envoys to many other kinds and princes, and they have instantly granted audience in every case.  His Majesty, too, has been very ill-informed of the contracts which we formerly made with the Duke of Anjou, and therefore a personal interview is the more necessary.”  As the envoys were obstinate on the point of Paris, Brulart said “that the King, although he should himself be at Lyons, would not prevent any one from going to the capital on his own private affairs; but would unquestionably take it very ill if, they should visit that city in a public manner, and as deputies.”

Des Pruneaux professed himself “very grievous at this result, and desirous of a hundred deaths in consequence.”

They stated that they should be ready within a month to bring an army of 3,000 horse and 13,000 foot into the field for the relief of Ghent, besides their military operations against Zutphen; and that the enemy had recently been ignominiously defeated in his attack upon Fort Lille, and had lost 2,000 of his best soldiers.

Here were encouraging facts; and it certainly was worth the while of the French sovereign to pause a moment before rejecting without a hearing, the offer of such powerful and conveniently-situated provinces.

Des Pruneaux, a man of probity and earnestness, but perhaps of insufficient ability to deal with such grave matters as now fell almost entirely upon his shoulders, soon afterwards obtained audience of the King.  Being most sincerely in favour of the annexation of the Netherlands to France, and feeling that now or never was the opportunity of bringing it about, he persuaded the King to send him back to the Provinces, in order to continue the negotiation directly with the States General.  The timidity and procrastination of the court could be overcome no further.